Nebraska Gov. Pillen taps Ricketts to replace Sasse

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, has tapped former Gov. Pete Ricketts to fill the seat recently vacated by Ben Sasse, who resigned well before the end of his term as a US Senator.

Sasse, a Republican who would not have stood for re-election until 2026, resigned earlier this month plans to become President of the University of Florida. He had served as a Senator since early 2015 and had won another term in the 2020 election. He tweeted in November that he was “excited to be coming to Gator Nation in February”.

Sasse was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict former President Donald Trump in 2021 after the House of Representatives voted to impeach the president following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots — the Senate vote coming after Trump was already his had resigned from office. and the number of votes for a conviction was below the threshold required for a conviction.

Pillen was sworn in as governor earlier this month, taking on the role from Ricketts, a Republican who served as governor of Nebraska from early 2015 to early 2023 — Ricketts endorsed Pills last year before the GOP gubernatorial primary was held.

reports indicate that there will be a special election in 2024 to determine who will serve in the last two years of Sasse’s term.

Since both Ricketts and Sasse are Republicans, the move will not change the overall partisan makeup of the US Senate.

During RemarksRicketts expressed his support for “a strong national defense” and said the US must stand up to threats such as those from the Chinese Communist Party.

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen appoints Pete Ricketts to the US Senate.www.youtube.com

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